Bittersweet Valentine's
by EmotionalRockfish
Summary: It just so happens to be Gaara's most dreaded holiday, Valentine's Day, a pathetic and pointless day full of false affections and happiness. Unfortunately for the Kazekage that means he must visit the allied Konoha. Somehow he manages to get into a bet with Naruto and is now desperate to find someone who will kiss him. [LeeGaa]/[GaaLee]
1. Part 1

**~Bittersweet Valentine's~**

**A story by EmotionalRockfish**

* * *

**-Story Details-**

**_Description:_**_ It is Valentine's Day, a day full of love and happiness. Unfortunately for Gaara that means he must visit Konoha. Somehow he manages to get into a bet with Naruto and is now desperate to find someone who will kiss him._  
**_Pairing:_**_ LeeGaa/GaaLee_ **_  
Disclaimer:_**_ Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fanmade piece of literature and is in no way part of the individual canonverse._  
**_Overall Rating:_**_ T (Teen) __**  
Warnings:**__ Homosexual relationships, references to sex, kissing, and of course cute LeeGaa._

* * *

**~Part one~**

**_Chapter Rating:_**_ G (General)_  
**_Published:_**_ 23/2/2013 _  
**_Last Updated:_**_ 28/5/2013_

_Author's comments:__ Dividing this into two separate parts so I can get it out much quicker. This is just a little something for Valentine's Day, even if it is late and has set back all of my other fics. I swear I was half way through editing a really long fic written on my iPod when I got this idea and I would have finished that ages ago if the plot bunnies had not attacked. _

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Gaara utterly despised Valentine's Day. Said profound hatred was not as completely irrational as most individuals instantly tended to presume, in actual fact, one could possibly consider it perfectly reasonable if they had ever even bothered to look back on the young leader's tragically depressing past. For him, just the basic concept of love only bought agonizing heartbreak and a sickening sense of envy and self loathing along with it, let alone a whole day filled with such a repulsive sentiment. That was far too much for the sand ninja to even attempt to bear. That was why the deprived red head usually tended to stay as far away from the celebrations as possible on such meaningless and pointless days, believing that securely locking himself in his desolate room was the only promising solution to his many problems associated with it.

No longer would it continue be an acceptable escape from the reality that was Saint Valentine's Day, it seemed. Quite frankly, it hadn't been for a quite a few years now. Not since the former demon container had changed his ways and became the proud Kazekage of his bustling little desert village. No, now it was wholly expected that he willingly attend the horrid celebrations that he so detested. And that single demand was what had bought the very irritated and ill-tempered sand ninja to the lush tree filled leaf village, located in the approximate middle of the Land of Fire, a neighbouring country and faithful ally of the Wind.

Today just so happened to be Valentine's Day itself. Such a deeply detested date, but Gaara had important work to do in the foreign allied nation and he was not going to let his appalling abhorrence get in the road of his vital duties, even if they were directly related to the celebration. He was just extremely glad and somewhat relieved he had been excused from his own village's excessive festivities. His siblings were in charge for the time being, overseeing the usual festival planning and such, so the Kazekage had luckily managed to flee by pure fortunate chance. Much more fortuitous than last year it appeared, in which he had been forcibly made to join in the apparent merriment. Not a very merry time for him, that had been for sure.

No, in actual fact, he had spent the whole day sitting in his large throne like chair residing over his people and their celebrations, not ever actually joining in, per say. But still, the mere sight of the kissing couples and happy faces sickened him to such a state that he had actually wanted to vomit.

The Kazekage had a very weak stomach when it came to the 'lovey dovey' mush that people dared to call romance. He obviously had not vomited, it wasn't something the red head was capable of, it seemed. His body had never had any reason to regurgitate before, what with the ichibi increasing his immunity to almost every disease. Not that that stopped him; if it were possible, Gaara certainly would have done so without hesitation, merely to prove his point or how sickeningly gross Valentine's Day was.

Vomiting aside, Gaara was sure enough that his visit to Konoha would be at least a slight bit more pleasant than last year's celebrations. Exactly why he was in the hidden leaf village was not obviously clear to the puzzled red head himself, but he did happen to have a small amount of necessary knowledge on the ostensibly essential visit. Apparently he was to make a quick appearance at the Konoha Valentine's festival as a display of the two villages' allegedly strong diplomatic ties. That was all that was required though, the Hokage had assured him. He just had to show up at the celebration, nothing less, nothing more. Fairly simple really, and he might have enjoyed it if not for his foolish pride and unrelenting hatred.

Or at least he had initially thought.

The former Jinchūriki was now sitting calmly at a large meeting table in the allied leaf village, the blond haired Hokage on the opposite side of said table and his two advisors seated beside him. Why they hadn't just stayed in the leader's office was confusing, as the overly spacious conference room was far too outsized for the four politics and completely unnecessary. Perhaps it was so he felt more impressive, or just to pathetically show off to his old friend? Gaara absolutely had no idea, but he wouldn't put it past him. Not at all. This was the Uzumaki he was dealing with.

Or maybe the leaf ninja really was stupid. It was certainly a possibility.

"So you accepted my invitation, hey?" Naruto joked offhandedly, casually putting his orange clad legs up on the table in a very laid-back manner, earning scowls from the two grouchy elders seated beside him who obviously disapproved of his lack of manners and etiquette, "Didn't think you would come really. I know how much you hate these kinds of things. Too happy for you, right?" The proud Kazekage only nodded swiftly in uncomplicated agreement, knowing full well that his friend was knowledgeable on exactly why that was so.  
"May I ask how you of all people managed to become Hokage?" Gaara queried softly, his indifferent and quiet voice barely audible in the large meeting room, disbelieve just faintly evident on his features, "I was quite surprised when I read through the letter and realized it was addressed from you, Uzumaki-san."

"What, you think I cheated or somethin'!?" The loud mouthed blond exclaimed, ready to rise from his very comfortable looking position at the head of the table to argue further, "You know how much I've worked to become Hokage!"

"Yes, yes…" The young Kage responded without much care, waving his pale and slender hand at the indignant blond dismissively, "I really wanted to ask why you desire my presence so, knowing full well of my opinions on Valentine's Day. This is not a wise move, Hokage-sama…" Naruto had calmed down considerably at the response, yet was still greatly offended by the comments, crossing his tanned arms, clad in the traditional white and red Hokage Robes, with a scornful huff.

"I just wanted to see my friend again, nothing wrong with that right?" The newly selected Hokage questioned almost sceptically, rising the seated red head's suspicions even more, "I mean, I knew you wouldn't want to be in Suna at this time of year, and you have plenty of friends here, so…." Gaara was not buying that excuse though. Naruto always had ulterior motives, as the sand ninja had learned the hard way.

"If you are trying your hand at matchmaking again, I will walk straight back to my village without a word," Gaara retorted straightforwardly, knowing full well what the unwanted consequences would be if he allowed such a wretched thing to ever happen in his somewhat looming presence, now looking up from his long pointy finger nails to glare at the very surprised and nervous looking blond opposite to him, "The trip back would allow me to miss the Valentine's celebrations completely, so there really is nothing keeping me here…"

Oh that little blond haired ramen loving trickster. If he had potential plans to do **that** again, or even the smallest beginnings of ideas, the mighty Kazekage would do far more than just leave the lush hidden leaf village.** Alot** more.

Yes, **again**. The last time the mischievous Uzumaki had attempted to set the lonesome little red head up with a well needed date, as he had claimed, it had been the previous year's despised Valentine's celebrations, in which he had been formally visiting the desert village of Sunagakure on official diplomatic business. This was before he had been elected as Hokage, merely in training, and Tsunade had been trying to get him to learn official-like things and such, in an attempt to ready him for his future position. Obviously, sending him away to another village for a week had seemed like a wonderful idea in her mind. Not for Gaara though. The whole visit had been torment and torture, but that one single day had been the worst of the Kazekage's life. Certainly not a very good day indeed, and it positively did not include much of this 'official business' like he had originally told the overly trustful and stoic young Kage. If Gaara's undue hatred had not been so excessively high in the first place, he would have purportedly alleged that it had made him loath the day even more, if that was remotely possible considering the current status of his disproportionate abhorrence.

You see, unbeknownst to the Kazekage, Naruto had somehow managed to spend the whole day asking everyone in the sand village on his behalf if they wanted to go out with him. That meant **every** single individual that currently resided in the village. Female and Male, young and old.

Of course there had been numerous responses and proposals of love from random strangers, but at that point the sand ninja had had no idea of the recently selected Hokage's mischievous plan. At first he was honestly flattered beyond believe, yet very confused by the idea. It was in his nature to desperately crave and yearn affection, so when an unknown and unexpected stranger suddenly burst into his usually neat little Kazekage office before the loathed celebrations had begun and asked with fiery passion to be his Valentine, Gaara couldn't help but be slightly happy about it. Of course he had politely declined the persons offer, stating his abhorrence towards the day, but it was the simple fact that someone had actually wanted to love him that warmed his unfamiliar black heart.

Then there was another fervent declaration of love and adoration.

Then yet another.

The Kazekage was completely unsure when he had become so prevalently popular with his busy citizens, enough to have multiple swarms of suitors erupt into his already cramped office, but he wasn't at all stupid by any sense of the word. A little naïve sometimes, but quite the genius at most times. If there were strange things happening with no real reasoning behind them and the grating Uzumaki also happened to be on the scene, most things would undoubtedly be his blame. That was just the twisted way the world seemed to work, from what Gaara had gathered throughout his recent life with the leaf ninja. It certainly was a valuable life lesson, as it had indeed turned out to be his fault. One of the suitors had gladly given the young leader all the information he needed once the hordes began and the red haired boy's suspicion was instantly raised.

That had truly been a horrid day, but the sand wielder was avidly determined that the same event never happen to repeated itself again. Not if he had a say in things.

"You think I would do that again! Tsunade-baachan banned me from joint missions between our villages for six whole months as punishment! Also because I think she was afraid you were going to kill me…" Naruto retorted angrily, his response even louder than his previous outburst, "Besides, you needed the help! I bet you'd actually like Valentine's Day if you'd ever had, you know, a Valentine!" Well that explained why Gaara hadn't seen the kyuubi holder for such a lengthy amount of time. For good reason too, seeing as the red head was yet to get his revenge on the Uzumaki. Tsunade-dono had certainly been right to fear for the leaf ninja's precious life. Gaara couldn't be held accountable if something 'accidentally' happened to the orange clad leaf ninja, especially after what had happened.  
"Naruto-san, I did not need your help then, and I never will," Gaara uttered bitterly, "I have no interest in finding a mate as of yet. I am still young and have plenty of time to waste on such pursuits in the future, most likely when I find someone who is actually acceptable."

"Yeah right!" The blond exclaimed in reply, "Do you know how long you've been saying that? You know, your problem is that you're too picky! That's why you're still a virgin!"

How the boy knew that, Gaara was unsure, but regardless it was true. The young leader has absolutely no interest in sex as of yet, nor the slightest idea about courting. There was already enough pressure from the council to wed and have heirs, and as a result the sand ninja had merely been turned off the whole idea. Children were far too much work for him, much less being in a relationship too.

"I believe we were here to discuss the upcoming celebrations, not my love life…" The red head interjected with a false smile, the two elders besides the Hokage raising their eyebrows simultaneously at the previous revelation. They remained silent still though, much to Gaara's amusing delight. He couldn't have rumours flying about now, could he?

Not that it would even bother the pure little red haired Kazekage. He had no serious qualms about being a virgin, other than the depressing reminder it held about his loneliness. The young Kage had made up his twisted mind years ago that he would save himself until he found someone who loved him. It was common sense to the boy. Besides, he really doubted that the blond was that much different. He most likely just had an affliction towards talking big, something he was doing quite a lot of at the moment.

"What love life? I was just trying to find you someone to love!" Naruto was out of his seat in an instant, which received a dry chuckle from Gaara. This was certainly going to get interesting. Especially if he thought he could argue with the all powerful wind shadow, who had many more years of experience dealing with people and diplomatic situations.

"Why don't you mind your business? I can have whoever I choose; I just have not made up my mind yet," The former Jinchūriki flashed another false smile, making light of the whole situation, "I doubt you would ever be able to find me someone anyway. I've seen your choice in partners." A risky move but completely true. Gaara had only seen the blond making out with Sasuke once, and in his honest opinion that wasn't much of an actual achievement. The raven haired boy took whatever he could find these days.

"Fine, find your own!" The fox container exclaimed, crossing his arms and giving up. It seemed he's defensiveness was becoming even more tactile. Just as Gaara had predicted. Naruto was always immature, and it seemed no amount of training to become Hokage could change that.

"I never asked for your help in the first place, besides, it surely can not be so hard…" The sand ninja raised a hand to his chin in deep though, musing about the situation deeply, "I am fairly certain someone in Konoha would not mind a few kisses from me…"

"Care to bet on it, Kazekage-sama?" The blond muttered teasingly, getting back into the conversation once again. Oh he couldn't just keep his mouth shut, could he?

"I would like to know the terms of this 'bet' before I agree to anything," Gaara retorted smartly, a smirk playing at his lips. Of course it didn't really matter; the young Kage knew he would win anyway. He was the mighty leader of another village; someone in this horrible village had to find that attractive, right?

Naruto gave a deep sigh. Was it just him or was the sand wielder enjoying this far too profusely? That devilish smirk was proof enough that he undoubtedly had something up his sleeve.

"You get a kiss from anyone in Konoha, and you win. On the lips too, no cheating! You win, you can be excused from the Valentine's Day celebrations and do whatever it is you do, you lose and I get to make you my personal assistant for the rest of your stay." The terms were rather simple, nothing too hard to accomplish. If worst came to terms the Kazekage would just depart as soon as possible. The Hokage had no way to stop him if that was what he truly wanted. Gaara could put up quite the difficult fight when he wanted to.

"I agree…" The red head murmured bluntly, sighing in mock boredom and rolling his mint coloured eyes. Tormenting the Uzumaki was rather entertaining, but he had had enough for one day.

"_And _I get to dress you up in maid outfits if you lose!" The orange Kage interjected quickly, receiving an odd look from Gaara, who opened his mouth to speak, but just shook his head in repulse instead. That comment certainly implied that the leaf ninja did happen to have a maid outfit sitting around somewhere and that freaked him out just a little bit. He certainly couldn't lose now.

"I still agree, **but** I will be taking my leave now…" The former Jinchūriki stood up abruptly from his large comfortable chair, making his way over to the once again laid back leaf ninja, "First though, I must request a kiss." The ramen loving blond simply shook his head and laughed a bit.

"It's going to take more than that, Gaara-kun," The Hokage responded, shooing the red head away awkwardly, "I have to make this difficult, you know!" Being denied a quick little non-romantic kiss from one of his closest friends certainly meant that he was going to have to look much further than just Naruto if he had any plans to win the bet.

"Ah, Hokage-dono…" The Kazekage trailed off in understanding, crossing his arms against his chest again, "In that case, it is a good thing I have someone in mind already..."

Who that person was though, was someone who would never even think of denying anyone a kiss. Not even the odd sand ninja himself. Surely all he needed was a reliable guilt trip and they would be all his. Lee would definitely want to help his good friend from the distant sand village out, regardless of how awkward the request would be. The red head seemed to have a soft spot for the taijutsu master, so much so that he wouldn't mind the kiss at all. Even if the unlikely answer was a no, Gaara would still manage to drag a press of tender lips out of the other boy.

After all, he **was** going to win this.


	2. Part 2

**~Bittersweet Valentine's~**

**A story by EmotionalRockfish**

* * *

**-Story Details-**

**_Description:_**_ It is Valentine's Day, a day full of love and happiness. Unfortunately for Gaara that means he must visit Konoha. Somehow he manages to get into a bet with Naruto and is now desperate to find someone who will kiss him._  
**_Pairing:_**_ LeeGaa/GaaLee_ **_  
Disclaimer:_**_ Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fanmade piece of literature and is in no way part of the individual canonverse.  
**Rating:** M **  
Warnings:** __Homosexual relationships, references to sex, kissing, and of course, cute LeeGaa/GaaLee._

* * *

**Part two**

**_Chapter Rating:_**_ T (Teen) _  
**_Published:_**_ 29/3/2013 _  
**_Last Updated:_**_ 30/5/2013_

_Author's comments__: Final edit is done, so I hope you like it. Honestly, I was a scatterbrain when I wrote this originally, and I feel as if Gaara's character wasn't as true in the second part as it was in the first. Hopefully that is all fixed up, but he is acting a little odd because he is in love. I've tried to put emphasis on that. Read and then review, please, as feedback always helps!_

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The mighty Kazekage of Sunagakure just so happened to be sitting dejectedly on the side of a busy street in Konoha, watching the joyously happy couples walk past, hand in hand and jovial smiles painted on their ecstatic faces. How he felt so profoundly _lonely_ and _jealous, _all from their content smiles and blissful hand holding. It wasn't just that though; there was also something else bothering the Kazekage and making sickening envy smother his whole being unwillingly. It was the excessively close bond that they shared so willingly and openly with each other. How the lonesome red haired boy desperately longed to be able to hold someone so highly, just like the passing strangers were doing now. He wanted someone to cherish and adorn with gifts. Someone to love, who would love him back just as wholeheartedly.

Of course, all this mush and sudden pure emotion also disgusted him, and the sand ninja found himself disappointed in his own actions. His sudden moping and loneliness had stemmed directly from the current Valentine's Day celebrates, and was merely a moment of weakness in his black rimmed eyes. Something about being surrounded by happy couples bought out the worst of him, intensifying his usually hidden desires for love, and the bitter solitude he felt on a daily basis.

Gaara never really considered Valentine's as anything other than an irritating holiday in which people would shower their beloved in gifts, solely for the purpose of annoying him. Not once had he lowered himself to actually wanting to be included in the celebrations, but this time it was different. Why, the former Jinchūriki had no idea, and that in itself scared him. Was he giving in to his emotions at last? Or was this the result of something the Uzumaki had put in his tea during their initial meeting? Gaara wouldn't doubt it, Naruto had a habit of doing such idiotic things, and at the moment, the desolate red head was looking for any excuse for him sudden unfamiliar human feelings.

Regardless of how much he longed for a loved one, and how willing he was to admit such a thing, the young Kage was doomed to be forever alone, what with his reputation and all, and today being Valentine's of all days, as well as being stuck in an idiotically stupid bet with the Hokage. How _annoying_.

Every now and then someone would catch a glimpse of the young leader in faint interest or surprise, as if recognising the sand ninja, wondering why he just so happened to be brooding so openly in the middle of a busy street in a foreign village. Others would decide to inquire about his general health nosily, in false concern for Gaara's already pitiable and almost ailing health. Regardless of their apparently good intentions and all, it was simply beginning to become extremely irritating and distracting and just about to drive the sand ninja to retreat without a single word to some place that was far more peaceful and uninhabited.

It was then that he spotted a certain familiar spandex clad leaf ninja striding blissfully out of the nearby Yamanaka Flower Store, a joyful smile on his happily contorted face and a magnificently large bouquet of darling red roses clutched in his white bandaged hands tightly. It was blatantly obvious who the recipient of the flowers was going to be, even to someone as naïve in romance and its relating areas as Gaara. Nevertheless, the red haired boy had been attempting to seek out the older ninja for the entire course of the day, having plans to chat pleasantly to him right now, even if that meant disrupting Lee's determined plans to woo a certain ignorant kunoichi.

And by that, the sand ninja meant Sakura Haruno.

Oh, Gaara knew about Lee and her, he knew full well. The odd looking leaf ninja seemed to have some pathetic infatuation with the annoying pink haired Haruno, desperately trying to win her heart as if she was the sole reason he was alive. Gaara also knew how said girl treated the taijutsu master, the only true friend the former Jinchūriki had other than the loud mouthed Uzumaki.

Sakura would often refuse Lee, and though the all-powerful wind shadow understood that it was perfectly acceptable to refuse someone's affections, it was the awful ways she did so that angered him. The pinkette seemed to have a fancy for someone else, namely the aloof Uchiha, and no matter how Lee went about it, she would always turn him down harshly. It was never a pretty site to watch; the Kazekage had witnessed it once before, what with the girl throwing out flowers and gifts, using hurtful words, criticising his appearance, or even being practically violent with the leaf ninja and punching him.

As rarely as the stoic and usually indifferent boy showed it, he cared deeply about those he considered precious to him, and Lee just so happened to be one of those people, and therefore worthy of the young leader's concern and worry. It was obvious that the kunoichi would just refuse the spandex wearing ninja like she always did, and Gaara was not about to let one of his closest friends have their heart crushed once again by the supposed girl of his dreams. If that pink haired witch was going to hurt any of the sand ninja's friends, he would have no choice but to resort to despising her endlessly.

Contrary to popular believe, Gaara did not hate the Haruno because she was annoying, weak, ugly, or any of the other things the recently elected Hokage had claimed, but because of the way she had treated both of his friends. Yes, she was quite annoying at times; physically abusing both the Uzumaki and Lee, but Gaara thought most people were annoying. The pinkette was far from weak, as her punches showed, and she was the disciple of the previous Hokage, so that was not an issue. As for appearance, the red head didn't even understand how you could hold abhorrence towards someone based on their looks; in fact, he didn't even understand why everyone considered Lee ugly.

No, Gaara had other reasons for his dislike of Sakura.

It was the ignorant way she acted as if Sasuke Uchiha was the only one she cared about, refusing everyone else, even if the sand ninja suspected that the raven haired boy had a fancy for the same sex. It was the way she threw away Lee's love like they were nothing. The way she hurt those that had feelings towards her.

To the sand ninja it made absolutely no sense.

If it were him who was the object of the spandex clad boy's infatuation, he would have graciously accepted Lee's affections, for he would be honoured. Lee was someone close to him, someone he owed a great debt to, and even if he failed to understand the basic concept, Gaara would return his affections without a word. Lee was certainly odd looking, but he had a good heart. More than he could say for the Haruno.

The red head had been wanting to see the energetic and extremely enthusiastic leaf ninja for quite some time, having not seen him since his last visit to Konoha many months ago, but knowing absolutely nothing about his place of residence and unable to pop in for a quick visit; it was rather hard to find the taijutsu master. Of course it made sense to interrupt his little daze and have a brief conversation while he could, and now was the perfect time. Perhaps the red head would attempt to talk some sense into the bowl cut boy, but he honestly doubted it. Lee and his affection towards that girl made him even more stubborn than the Kazekage on occasion, and that was certainly saying something.

Gaara himself was as persistent and inflexible as a mule, as his siblings, friends and the entire sand village had learnt long ago. They would all gladly argue in favour of this opinion, and even the Kazekage himself had some knowledge of how intractable he could be. Apparently, the odd looking leaf ninja was completely oblivious to this, continuing to argue with the sand manipulator regardless of how many selfish snarls or dangerous sounding threats he received from him. No, to Lee, the Kazekage was simply selfish because he had not learnt to share at a younger age. At least, that was what he thought.

To Gaara though, Lee was a complete imbecile who had absolutely no idea how to keep his mouth shut and listen to his superiors.

Not that Gaara particularly liked being considered as Lee's superior. He wanted to be on equal terms with the Chunin, regardless of rank. They were very close friends with a strong bond, and as much as the young leader hated to admit it, the taijutsu master's persistent attitude had become something he rather liked about him. The red head had no idea why, but that determination and perseverance made him want to smile, just ever so slightly. Not that he ever did. The Kazekage refused to smile just because some weird bushy browed leaf ninja made him _feel _like it.

Finally deciding to get up from his uncomfortable position on the cold paved ground and intervene, the young Kage briskly made his way over to his old friend with an awkward wave and a bit of a forced, yet honest minute smile. Lee was both extremely shocked and happy when he looked up from his little daze and admiration of his flowers and noticed the aloof sand ninja approaching, whom he had not seen for such a long time. The leaf ninja returned both of the former demon container's gestures with much more enthusiasm, putting the red head's small upward tilt of his lips to shame.  
"Greetings, Lee-san…" Gaara murmured softly in salutation and welcome, with a brisk and respectfully simple nod of acknowledgement, his icy blue eyes now gazing intently on the red roses before him with uncontrollable interest, "Long time no see, I believe the expression is…"

Oddly enough the large bunch of flora seemed almost strangely entrancing to the younger male, so much so that he could not help but let his mint coloured orbs drift towards them without any hesitation. Even if he knew said gorgeous flowers were for the Haruno and certainly in no way for him, he still found them to be beautiful. Why that mattered at all though, Gaara had absolutely no idea. Since when did he care about flowers, of all things? Since when did he even think roses were beautiful? The plants merely died eventually, leaving no traces left of the affections they had meant to symbolise. Perhaps that was part of their transfixing beauty. Lee had once told him, while being innocently questioned by the red head on his idiotic choice of crush, that love was fleeting. Then he had gone on to say that love was also long lasting and forever. It certainly hadn't made much sense to the Kazekage.

Then again, nothing Lee said made much sense.

"Gaara-sama! I was not expecting you to be in the village on such a youthful evening! How ar-" The taijutsu master responded, turning his full attention towards the stoic voice he had recognized, but was cut off mid sentence by a very rude Kazekage, whose entire focus seemed to now be the flowers. Not that Gaara was being rude intentionally, far from it really, that was simply how the aloof sand ninja always acted, regardless of the situation or the person he was interacting with. Cold, blunt and straight to the point. It seemed such a long time away back in his own desert village hadn't changed the distant Kazekage's sour attitude at all. The leaf ninja really didn't mind all that much though, at the moment he was still glad to see him, smiling happily at his strange friend.

"Those are some very pretty flowers…" The sand ninja decided to point out bluntly, interrupting the older boy's incoherent ramblings, which caused Lee to just stare at him blankly for a small amount of time, suddenly dumbfounded by the abrupt change of subject and fascination in his bright crimson bouquet. When had his simple bunch of roses been enough to attract a _Kage's_ attention?

"Uh…" The leaf ninja trailed off, at lose for words. He had been about to ask the young leader if he was okay, but shrugged it off instantly. If Gaara liked his flowers they must have been very stunning. "They are for Sakura-chan! Unfortunately cherry blossoms were out of season at this time of year, but I think these roses were just as lovely! Do you not think so, Gaara-sama!?" The taijutsu master finally exclaimed blissfully, getting back to his senses, his questioning black orbs now on the little red head whose stare never seemed to leave the flowers at all.

"The Haruno…" Gaara muttered softly under his breath, not paying much mind to Lee's question until he looked up at the boy a few seconds later, "Oh… yes, they are very nice. Very nice indeed…"

"You seem to like them a lot! Do they not have roses in the sand village?" He questioned, knowing how barren the distant village was in comparison to the lush and life filled leaf village. Gaara seemed to think about the question for a while, as if his thought processes were seriously impended by the bouquet before him.  
"Not ones as… fresh and vibrant as these ones…" The former Jinchūriki replied slowly, carefully observing the lusciously crimson roses in his friend's hand, noticing just how much more brilliant they were than the ones that were imported into the barren sand village when the dreaded holiday came around, "They are almost as red as my hair…" It slipped out without much thought, as the sand ninjas hand came up and began to gracefully ghost over one of the red tops. Gaara hadn't even noticed that he had said such a thing.

At that comment, Lee had one of his foolish and most likely life threatening ideas. Carefully, he plucked a single rose from the enormous bunch, more specifically the one that the boy had been previously touching with such awe, and gently pushed it behind the now annoyed sand shinobi's ear as a simple and nonthreatening means of comparison, cautious not to extremely irritate the overly volatile boy too much. He frowned in odd disappointment as the other male still flinched almost unnoticeably in discomfort and unfamiliarity, as he usually did when he was subjected to such foreign contact. Still the red head didn't object to the oddly placed flower, instead he unblinkingly ogled the leaf ninja with childlike confusion.

"It matches your hair perfectly!" The leaf ninja nervously yelled a little too loudly in explanation at the odd look, watching as Gaara played with a tassel of his own hair and studied it carefully, comparing the two colours analytically, yet he hadn't even hinted towards removing the cherished plant. Lee had to admit that it looked rather adorable in his friend's hair. Especially when he acted so naively oblivious to its presence like he was now.

The sand ninja crossed his arms and nodded at the taijutsu master's nervous shout. His loudness had never really settled with Gaara at all, regardless of their numerous pleasantly friendly meetings. Not that he hated the excessive yells and booming exclamations of youth; they were simply part of Lee. If they weren't there than this man before him certainly wouldn't be Lee now, would he? The young leader knew that to ask him to change was like asking himself to stop being so distant and aloof. As hard as Gaara tried, it would be impossible to erase all the traces of his previous personality. Having spent a long time with the other boy though, the red head was well versed in techniques to, as hard as it was, quiet the other ninja, or at least get him to calm down considerably. One seemed to be simply changing the subject, something the red head had picked up easily.

"Lee-san, I would like to spend some time with you today. We have not talked in quite some time. I believe we must 'catch up', no?" The Kazekage immediately shifted subjects to something much more serious of nature. The leaf ninja sighed in disappointment, having had enjoyed the talk about his roses far too much than he should have, but began to flash a bright goofy grin as the words managed to sink in. Regardless of how nice and touching the offer was, the taijutsu master needed to get a few things out of the way before he could catch up with Gaara.  
"First I have to give these to Sakura-chan!" The ebony haired boy replied with an energetic shout, "I apologize, but I would not want her to think that I have forgotten her, especially on today of all days!"

For some reason Gaara did not like hearing those words. Especially considering that they involved the detested Haruno girl.

As straightforward and blunt as he was with Naruto, the same could not be said for Lee unfortunately. In fact, the Kazekage was just a tad bit **too** harsh with the oblivious boy, testing out which interactions would offend, and which ones would go unnoticed. That honesty and harshness had somehow managed to slip past the red head's pale twin lips without any thought, and he voiced his opinion on the matter instantly.

"She does not deserve you…" Gaara crossed his slender arms in agitated irritation at the foolish taijutsu master, huffing to himself in annoyance. Smart move. Not.

"You are not the first to say something like…" Lee trailed off with a sigh. He was usually the first one to argue with youthful passion when someone opposed his love for his precious Sakura, but something about the sand ninja's frank tone of voice made him realize that he was nothing more than a fool for believing that his affections would be returned. "Wait… You think that it is _she _who does not deserve me…?" The leaf ninja wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment, or as an insult to his romantic interest, "A-are you saying… that she is not worthy of someone as… youthful as me…?"

"You are finally waking up, I see…" The red head commented with a small smirk playing on his usually plane and indifferent features, noticing how confused the previously depressed and dismayed ebony haired boy had suddenly become, and how this was actually working, "May I ask why you continue to cherish a person who refuses to return your feelings…?"

"I…" Gaara actually had a good point for once, and the leaf ninja was at a complete loss for words, "Because one day youth shall prevail and Sakura-chan will accept me as her lover!"

One step forward, two steps backwards. It seemed Gaara was getting nowhere, fast.

The Kazekage gave a sigh at his friend's determination, hand fiddling with one of the many roses once again in Lee's bouquet nervously as he gazed up at him.

"You know she will only throw away your gift. Does she not every year…?" The question was a bit too prying and nosy, but valid all the same. Lee wouldn't care about where he'd gained such knowledge, anyway.

"Not this year, Gaara-sama!" The leaf ninja had no idea why the red head was trying to persuade him to abandon his love for Sakura, but regardless he would fight against it, "Besides, I shall never know if I do not try!"

"But if she does not accept them… would that not have been a waste…?" The sand ninja uttered in question with an innocent tilt of his red haired head, "Especially when you could give them to someone who would appreciate them greatly…"

Even after that comment Lee was continually oblivious, as if he hadn't realized what Gaara was inferring. Proceeding to respond, Lee decided to cross his heavily bandaged arms huffily.  
"And who, may I ask, do you think wants my flowers?" The leaf ninja asked indignantly, turning his head away from the shorter boy, "There is no one here more disserving than my precious Sakura-chan!"

"For one, I would desire you flowers, lee-san…" Straight to the point, as usual. Gaara really did not understand the meaning of being subtle one bit, replying so bluntly that the taijutsu master practically stumbled backwards in an unexpected jolt of startling astonishment.

Lee's face was unnaturally pale, almost matching the pallid shade of the sand ninjas, and he seemed frozen in shock as he just stood there, staring at the younger boy before him.

Black rimmed eyes blinked once as he stared distantly at Lee for a few seconds, waiting for some kind of reply from the obviously stunned boy, before he continued regardless of whether the boy was ready or not.

"We have already established that they look rather nice in my hair, far more so than they would look in the Haruno's trash can. I see no reason why I can not be the receiver of your flowers."

Lee was still in complete and utter shock. Why would the mighty Kazekage of Sunagakure want his roses? It made absolutely no sense to the spandex clad boy. Of course it was a _wonderful _request from one of his closest friends from the sand village, but in actual fact he was rather puzzled.

"W-why…?" He uttered in surprise as he stepped back a little more, now paying full attention to the younger male, "Why do you want my roses…?"  
"It is a long story, Lee-san…" The Kazekage stepped forward himself, trying his best to stay close to Lee as he spoke and not let the taller shinobi escape, "One that can be traced back to the Uzumaki. Now please, may I have those roses? I am going to need some evidence that what I am about to do happened or he will refuse to believe me." What he was about to do was certainly going to need some evidence, wasn't it? Gaara needed to think ahead, after all. If not, Naruto would find a way to weasel out of the bet.

"Naruto-kun put you up to this!" The leaf ninja yelled in disbelieve, disappointed that the red head had even listened to the Hokage's words, but then again this was Gaara and he tended to follow Naruto's orders without any doubt, "You do not get these roses until you tell me this 'long story' of yours! I promise you will get them, seeing as you like them so much, but I must know why!"

By now most of the random passersby were starting to look in puzzlement at the weird looking duo, though neither paid much attention to the crowd ogling them with sceptic eyes. Lee was far too naively oblivious to notice anything out of the ordinary and Gaara really didn't care much for the opinions of others at all. He was going to kiss Lee in public, anyway. It wasn't like it mattered at all to him.

"Hokage-dono and I… are in a bet…" The young leader averted his sea foam gaze from the leaf ninja in shame as he explained, "I must get a kiss by the end of the day, and… well I wanted one from you. The roses do not matter so much; those were just mere evidence to back my claim up."

"You want me to… to kiss you!?" Oh Lee was even more confused by now, and even more people were beginning to stare as they strode on past the two arguing ninja, "Is this why you wanted me to give up on Sakura-chan!? So you could kiss me!? So you could win some stupid bet!? You are worse than her!"

"Quite frankly, yes…" Gaara heard the loud defensive and angry yells, but shrugged in indifference, not understanding why he was being so mad and angry with him, "Please, Lee-san. If I do not I will be forced to be…" The red head cringed at the stupid things he had agreed to, "…Naruto's maid. Please, I need this."

The taijutsu master was torn between handing over the roses and just giving the boy his kiss or pushing him away and abandoning him. He was genuinely hurt by the display. He had legitimately thought that Gaara had wanted a proper conversation with him, wanted to hang out for a bit, but it seemed he had really only wanted his flowers and a kiss. How deceiving  
"Why me…?" He uttered finally, eyes wide, but still much calmer than he had been before, "Why did you come to me…?"

"Well Naruto-san rejected my advances immediately, certainly not what I was expecting considering his mental capabilities. Still, it seems he is not stupid enough to let me win so easily," The sand ninja responded, mocking the blond with a small chuckle, "You on the other hand, have absolutely no reason to deny me. Besides, you are one of my friends and well… I trust you…"

Well that made things so much better now didn't it? Gaara _trusted_ him. How wonderfully endearing. As if that instantly just made things better.

Lee would have loved to just believe that was true. Maybe it was. Maybe the red head had only chosen the odd looking leaf ninja because he was the only person other than Naruto who he would really confide in, trust wholeheartedly and depend on. How much he wanted to believe it all. That the stoic Kazekage before him actually held some emotion for him. That he was really his friend. But regardless of what he wanted, it was the sole fact that this request had only been brought on by a silly bet.

Yet, why it hurt so much, Lee didn't know.

Why did it matter that Gaara only wanted a kiss so he could win some stupid game Naruto had goaded him into playing? The taijutsu master probably should have given him the kiss ages ago, for the sake of letting his red headed friend win, but no, he was torn in half at the idea. Maybe it was the realization that not even the young Kage himself wanted to kiss Lee without another motive. That was all he was, always a pawn in some game. The last resort. But why, why did it matter that the sand ninja didn't want to kiss him for, well, romantic reasons? It shouldn't, but for some reason it did.

"Why should I kiss you?" The leaf ninja had said that word an awful lot today, but nevertheless he needed to know, "Why, when all I am to you is a quick route to winning? Could you not just ask some girl to kiss you!?"

Gaara sighed in clear aggravation, now faced with a difficult question that he had completely no idea how to answer. Things were about to get rather awkward, and in a relatively short amount of time.

"I-I do not like girls…" The red head admitted, black rimmed eyes averted away in shame, "I just thought it would be less hassle to get a kiss from… a friend…"

Lee was gaping, so absurdly that the sand ninja grumbled angrily at the other boy. It was obvious that the leaf ninja was merely taking a while to process the sudden and unbelievable information. Deciding that he could no longer wait for his idiot of a friend to figure out what that meant, Gaara closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, readying himself for something he had wanted to get off his chest for quite some time now.

"I am gay." Short, simple and straight to the point, just how Gaara liked it.

There. It was out. Hopefully the now bewildered and amazed taijutsu master wouldn't react in the same outrageous way his two desert dwelling siblings had. No, they had thrown a very loud and angry fit over the whole ordeal. For some odd reason the red head knew the response wasn't because of his sexuality really, but more of the fact that he had bluntly announced his sexual attraction to a room full of old cranky men during a meeting, more specifically, a meeting to arrange a future wife to the young man.

Gaara had tried to explain to them that he had no interest in marrying, much less a woman that would expect children from the sand ninja. They obviously hadn't payed attention to his wishes and forced him to reveal his reasoning behind such things. Surely no woman would wish to marry a gay man that had no interest in them at all, but apparently the council was still searching for said girl. Gaara just wished that they could at least take into consideration the fact that he was interested in the same gender, and search for a decent man instead.

They** never** listened to him.

Even though Lee was yet to so much as blink in reaction, the young Kage found that getting the words off his chest felt so much better than hiding it until it was necessary, even in this case where he was getting absolutely nothing in response other than a very wide and kissable mouth. Wait, had he just called Lee's mouth _kissable_?

Gaara despised his mind sometimes. Almost as much as he loathed Valentine's Day and this entire stupid bet. More so when his subconscious decided to consider the leaf ninja to be kissable. Then again, he was rather attractive, and therefore worthy of a kiss. His mind had been merely telling the truth, how could he punish it for that?

The ebony haired boy still didn't seem to be reacting at all; he was just standing still as if greatly taken aback, mouth still open broadly in utter surprise. He really did look rather stupid like that. Stupid, yet kissable.

That stupid word just would not leave the Kazekage alone.

A multitude of thoughts ran through the stunned taijutsu master's mind. Was what the young Kage was saying true? Was he really gay? And why on earth was the menacing demon container acting nervous and stuttering so? Gaara **never** stuttered.

"You mean… you… you like men…?" Lee had to repeat the words out loud again, and over in his head before they eventually sunk in, "You're gay…?"

He was happy that Gaara had figured out something in his life, and who he loved, but what made him think that Lee would want to kiss him? The leaf ninja was almost certain he was straight. Almost, but the complete fact was that his dubious sexuality was up for debate.

"That is what I said, yes," The Kazekage huffed in annoyance, arms crossed indignantly as if to tell the raven just how peeved he was because he had to repeat himself, "Now, if I do recall correctly, you promised me the roses after I told you everything. Now would be a good time to hand them over, accompanied with a kiss."

"I did promise, didn't I…?" The bowl cut boy trailed off in disappointment and dismay. How his cheerful innocent words had betrayed him. Those roses had cost him a pretty penny, and now he was going to have to hand them over to the sand ninja.

"You did, now give," Gaara demanded harshly, knowing how close he was to receiving that beautiful bundle of scarlet flowers.

Lee sighed in utter defeat. He really did not know what to make of this revelation. The leaf ninja had been told by his all knowledgeable sensei that such things were normal for boys of their age in the midst their springtime of youth, but he had never expected Gaara, of all people, to be attracted to the same sex. No, the thought just had not been there at all.

Reluctantly handing over the pretty flowers, the taijutsu master watched in awe as the red head gave a small appreciative smile in response, fully inhaling their lovely aroma at last. Lee had never seen the stoic and emotionless boy smile so happily before, no, something as miraculous as this was completely unheard of. Before he could even think about the adorable tilt of his friend's lips, or do so much as praise the rare display, the leaf ninja felt the same pair of cold sandy lips press against his cheek tenderly. A simple peck, before the Kazekage pulled back from his tippy toeing, as composed as ever. The touch was so soft and ginger that Lee would not have felt it if not for the warm breath that had cascaded onto his face moments before that pale mouth had made contact.

Lee once again did not say anything. To him, today had been an absolute trauma. Again Gaara kissed him softly, standing on the edge of his the tips of his feet to reach the taller male, the large bouquet of crimson roses clasped in his hands between their chests.

Gaara had no idea when he had suddenly decided that the leaf ninja was extremely attractive. Probably around the time he had officially deemed him kissable. The red head's erratically beating heart sped in his rib cage as if madly trying to leap out and find the other boy, which he did not think was very healthy at all. Then again, finding an odd looking taijutsu master that only ever wore hideous spandex to be worthy of his affections, even going as far as to call his strange looks pretty, was certainly not at all healthy. No, most would be quick to call the sand ninja insane. But that had absolutely no impact on the Kazekage, not at all, because at the moment he was lost in the petite peck to his newly found love's cheek.

The leaf ninja absolutely had no idea as to why, but he did not protest, resist or refuse in any way at all. Instead he half-heartedly, only due to how scared he was to do something radical with the younger boy, joined in the tender smooches as the red head became more confident and started licking repeatedly at his cheek with almost silent purrs of enjoyment, which he could only hear due to their proximity, griping the boy's slender and unhealthily thin waist. Gaara seemed almost frightened at the sudden unfamiliar contact, not expecting his impulsive affectionate display to be returned in any way at all by the older ninja. In truth, Lee hadn't expected to be so engaged in such odd and impulsive things either, but he was.

Maybe he really did have a fancy for murderous red headed Kazekages?

Quickly, as the sand ninja gaze him a questioning and fearful glance behind those typically emotionless black rimmed eyes, the ebony haired boy leant down and pressed against his lips suddenly, large and heavily lashed eyes closing, feeling his already pounding heart rate speed up. The Kazekage seemed stunned this time though, instead of the other way around, a minute grin hinting on his mouth.

"You kissed me…" He uttered softly as the leaf ninja pulled away, in complete disbelieve. It was not everyday someone kissed the mighty Kazekage, former container of the Shukaku.

"Happy Valentine's day, Gaara-sama!" Lee exclaimed loudly in explanation, only now noticing the staring villager's giving them odd looks.

Gaara realized two things at that exact moment. One was that he absolutely enjoyed kissing, the other was that he expected a lot more of them from that odd looking boy. A lot more.

Gaara still didn't understand why Lee had kissed him, tracing his slightly moist mouth with a finger lightly as if it would help, but he did know things were about to get interesting as Lee ushered his stunned form out of the busy street, whispering soft words of comfort. The red head only managed to hear one uttering though, and that was a quiet and sincere murmur that meant so much to him.

"I love you."

Yes, the determined red head had won the bet, and now he would be able to spend the rest of the day with his precious and cherished beloved Lee, and there was certainly nothing the loud mouthed Uzumaki could do about it.

And for once in his sad little life, the sand manipulator decided that he really didn't mind Valentine's Day anymore.


End file.
